Minor League notes: Some Burlington players cut after first pro seasons

By Bob Sutton / Times-News

Published: Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 12:31 AM.

Others of note on the list included Durham Bulls Athletic Park (No. 9); CMC-NorthEast Stadium (No. 19), where the Kannapolis Intimidators play; BB&T Ballpark (No. 21) in Winston-Salem; McCormick Field (No. 25) in Asheville, NewBridge Bank Park (No. 52) in Greensboro; Five County Stadium (No. 95) in Zebulon, where the Carolina Mudcats play in the Class A Carolina League; and L.P. Frans Stadium (No. 126) in Hickory.

The top listing among Appalachian League teams was Calfee Park, home of the Pulaski Mariners in Virginia. That rated No. 33.

The criteria in the formulating of the list included rating food and beverage in the ballpark, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood, the fans, access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and concourses), return on investment, and an “extras” category for any unique or bonus points. Also used as a tiebreaker was “crowd reviews” from members of the group producing the list.

Ayers was drafted in June in the 30th round out of Cal State-Sacramento.

Mattes, a former Campbell pitcher, and Sweeney were non-drafted free agents, with Mattes spending the entire season with the Burlington team and Sweeney added after a tryout a few weeks into the season.

Ayers batted .214 in 44 games, mainly playing as a second baseman but filling in at shortstop after the promotion of Ramon Torres.

Sweeney batted .203 with three home runs in 26 games.

Mattes went 1-2 with one save and a 4.18 earned run average in 15 relief appearances.

Brown, a second-year pro, batted .181 with four home runs. He never produced the impact that he had as a member of Arizona’s 2012 NCAA championship team.

Tomchick spent parts of the past two seasons with Burlington. This year, he was 1-1 with a 9.13 ERA.

The cuts also included Cory Hall, a 2011 Burlington pitcher who split time this year between Class A teams Lexington Legends and Wilmington BlueRocks. He was a combined 3-3 with a 4.21 ERA.

■RANK THE PARKS: Another one of those rankings for minor-league ballparks came out last week, this one done across three seasons by Stadium Journey Magazine.

Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, home of the Pensacola (Fla.) Blue Wahoos of the Class AA Southern League, topped the list. That facility opened in 2012.

Others of note on the list included Durham Bulls Athletic Park (No. 9); CMC-NorthEast Stadium (No. 19), where the Kannapolis Intimidators play; BB&T Ballpark (No. 21) in Winston-Salem; McCormick Field (No. 25) in Asheville, NewBridge Bank Park (No. 52) in Greensboro; Five County Stadium (No. 95) in Zebulon, where the Carolina Mudcats play in the Class A Carolina League; and L.P. Frans Stadium (No. 126) in Hickory.

The top listing among Appalachian League teams was Calfee Park, home of the Pulaski Mariners in Virginia. That rated No. 33.

The criteria in the formulating of the list included rating food and beverage in the ballpark, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood, the fans, access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and concourses), return on investment, and an “extras” category for any unique or bonus points. Also used as a tiebreaker was “crowd reviews” from members of the group producing the list.